AV Rant #903: Speaker Null Hypothesis
OLED TV prices are either staying the same or going up a bit. M&K Sound has new THX Dominus Certified in-wall speakers. APC has two new Back-UPS BE power protection models.
Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBgwkE
00:00:00 – Intro
Quick word about OLED TV prices this year.
00:07:03 – What We Watched
Rob watched The Holdovers. Tom re-started Ahsoka.
00:22:25 – Listeners of the Week
Our Listeners of the Week are Raf and Dane for their PayPal donations, plus our 129 Patreon Patrons.
Thanks also to Dane for giving Tom permission to use his photos on https://avgadgets.com/
And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Dan, Ryan, Jay, J.R, Brandon, Dane, and Alvin. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!
In the news:
00:26:35 – News: M&K THX Dominus Speakers
IW500 is M&K Sound’s first THX Dominus Certified in-wall speaker, as well as their first horn-loaded design: https://tinyurl.com/2a3h4dx5
00:31:54 – News: APC Back-UPS BE Series
Higher wattage, basic battery backup power protection with some quality-of-life upgrades:
– BE900G3: https://tinyurl.com/msh4byae
– BE1050G3: https://tinyurl.com/2y359b9u
Comments:
00:34:59 – Comment: Stephen – Mystery Hum Fixed
We talked about cables and wires picking up interference, and that helped him solve an issue without even asking us.
QUESTIONS:
00:39:40 – Dazz: Fireplace Setup
Mounting a TV on a stone facia. Wall-mounted speaker aesthetics. Slim Receiver. Efficient Bookshelf speakers. Hidden wires.
– https://avgadgets.com/fluance-ai81-elite-powered-tower-speakers-big-sound-and-big-value/
– Marantz NR1711 from A4L: https://tinyurl.com/2krcbpy9
– Marantz Cinema 70S: https://tinyurl.com/4hjsn7vu
– https://hsuresearch.com/collections/speakers
– Monoprice Flat Wire: https://tinyurl.com/4c84kdxa
– Sewell Ghost Wire: https://tinyurl.com/2p92pnyc
00:56:18 – Todd: Level Matching Surrounds
Two pairs of Surrounds. Different physical distances. We go over ways to level match them.
00:59:44 – Dean: Reoriented Room
Mostly an update to share results, but we have some thoughts on subwoofer placement.
01:05:39 – Jonathan: Why Discs Sound Better
He thinks discs almost always sound better than streaming. Is that just because of bitrates and lossiness?
01:13:28 – Dan: Subwoofer Phase & Perfect Speakers
Harman’s papers on multiple subwoofer placement linked below. JL Audio’s awful subwoofer phase setup advice. Why do plate amps fail? How do you know when your speakers are good enough?
– Subwoofers: Optimum Number & Locations: https://tinyurl.com/ye28r5u3
– Low-Frequency Optimization: https://tinyurl.com/3rcrmzbn
– Multi-Sub Optimizer Software: https://tinyurl.com/4xtwb5he
– JL Audio’s phase alignment: https://tinyurl.com/5xybtfn3
01:35:46 – Ryan: Damping, Graphing, Comparing & EQ’ing
Should Bookshelf speakers on stands use isolation pads? Can you measure and graph your audio on an Android phone? Methods to A-B compare two pairs of speakers. And which frequencies impact which instruments?
– AudioTool for Android ($8): https://tinyurl.com/5453kvt4
– Dayton iMM-6 Calibrated Phone Mic: https://tinyurl.com/3sjekhy3
– SOLUPEAK P3 2-in 2-out Speaker & Amp Switch: https://tinyurl.com/munnt6hu
– https://avgadgets.com/everyone-that-says-their-av-upgrade-is-slightly-better-is-a-liar/
– https://avgadgets.com/why-subwoofer-extension-is-important/ (with instrument frequency chart)
– Sweetwater Subjective Audio Terms chart: https://tinyurl.com/33wyy2y7
– Another Frequency chart: https://tinyurl.com/463js47b
01:47:47 – Jay: Bluetooth Earphone Codec Issues?
Could the codecs of his music files be responsible for Bluetooth earphone signal drops?
01:49:34 – J.R: That Missing Slam
Turns out, his surround sound setup provides plenty of slam. It’s only his more expensive, dedicated 2-channel gear that needs a boost.
– https://avgadgets.com/subwoofer-doesnt-work-with-stereo-heres-the-two-step-fix/
01:55:02 – Raf: Adding Even More Speakers
Since his X8500H can handle 13 speakers, which additional pair should he add?
01:57:48 – Daniel: New Front Speakers
Our suggestions for three new speakers up front that don’t break the bank, and could easily be repurposed in the future.
– Ascend HTM-200 SE: https://tinyurl.com/3dr8rw86
– https://hsuresearch.com/pages/speaker-bundle
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